8yo boy faces murder charge in US

An eight-year-old American boy accused of beating to death a one-year-old baby while her mother was at a nightclub has been charged with murder, local media reports.

One of six children left alone for hours in a Birmingham, Alabama home, the boy attacked the infant to make her stop crying, officials said.

"The one-year-old suffered from severe head trauma as well as major internal organ damage which ultimately led to her death," Birmingham police spokesman Lieutenant Sean Edwards said, according to the news website AL.com.

"It is believed that while the mother and friend were at the club, the eight-year-old viciously attacked the one-year-old because the one-year-old would not stop crying."

The baby, Kelci Devine Lewis, was found unresponsive in her crib on October 12 and later pronounced dead, AL.com said.

Her mother, Katerra Lewis, has been charged with manslaughter, the publication said.

Apart from the victim, who turned one in May, five children ranging in age from two to eight were alone in the house where Lewis was temporarily staying with friends, it reported.

The mother was released Monday on bail.

The Department of Human Resources said it had no prior complaints concerning Lewis or her daughter.

The Department of Human Resources is holding the eight-year-old boy and said it won't release his name.

It is rare, but not unheard of in the US, for children involved in the deaths of other children to face serious charges.